Election Commission orders action against nine UP poll officers over Azamgarh voter list errors
Strict action under the Representation of the People Act follows an official probe that uncovered identical entries in local electoral rolls.
What happened in Azamgarh
The Election Commission has ordered disciplinary and legal action against nine election officials in Uttar Pradesh following an investigation into voter list errors in Azamgarh.
The probe was initiated after concerns were raised regarding multiple entries listed under the name Vikas Yadav in the constituency's voter list. Following instructions from Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa, the Azamgarh district election officer conducted a detailed inquiry into the records.
The investigation established that 11 entries examined belonged to distinct residents living in different villages across the constituency. However, due to administrative errors during list preparation, identical details including fathers' names, addresses, and dates of birth had been recorded against their names.
Disciplinary action against poll staff
Treating the errors as a serious supervisory failure, election authorities ordered strict measures against responsible personnel under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
| Official position | Number of staff | Action ordered |
|---|---|---|
| Electoral Registration Officer | 1 | Charge sheet and departmental proceedings |
| Assistant Electoral Registration Officer | 2 | Charge sheet and departmental proceedings |
| Booth-Level Officer | 5 | Removal from roll duties and termination notices |
| Computer Assistant | 1 | Removal from roll duties and termination notice |
District election authorities oversaw the completion of Form 8 applications to correct the erroneous records for 10 affected voters. The Azamgarh district election officer has also been directed to audit electoral rolls across all 10 Assembly constituencies in the district and submit a full report within a week.
Statewide probe and voter roll updates
The decisive action in Azamgarh aligns with broader measures to safeguard voter roll integrity across Uttar Pradesh. In Pilibhit, Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa ordered a statewide investigation after an inquiry revealed more than 10,000 unauthorised detail changes made without the required applications.
State poll officials confirmed that criminal cases have been registered against staff responsible for unverified modifications in Pilibhit. The administrative cleanup comes ahead of the upcoming voter roll revision schedule, with draft rolls set for publication on 12 November and final electoral rolls scheduled for release on 4 January.
Key numbers
| What | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Officials facing disciplinary action | 9 | Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer |
| Unauthorised modifications found in Pilibhit | More than 10,000 | Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa |
| Publication date for draft rolls | 12 November | Uttar Pradesh CEO's Office |
| Publication date for final rolls | 4 January | Uttar Pradesh CEO's Office |
In this story
| Name | Role in the story |
|---|---|
| Election Commission of India | Ordered disciplinary and legal action against nine poll officials in Uttar Pradesh. |
| Azamgarh | District in Uttar Pradesh where duplicate voter roll entries were investigated. |
| Navdeep Rinwa | Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh who directed the investigation and statewide audit. |
| Uttar Pradesh | State where the voter list audit and official actions took place. |
